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Do Firms in Countries with Poor Protection of Investor Rights Hold More Cash?

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Author Info
Lee Pinkowitz
Rene M. Stulz
Rohan Williamson

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Abstract

Managers make different decisions in countries with poor protection of investor rights and poor financial development. One possible explanation is that shareholder-wealth maximizing managers face different tradeoffs in such countries (the tradeoff theory). Alternatively, firms in such countries are less likely to be managed for the benefit of shareholders because the poor protection of investor rights makes it easier for management and controlling shareholders to appropriate corporate resources for their own benefit (the agency costs theory). Holdings of liquid assets by firms across countries are consistent with Keynes' transaction and precautionary demand for money theories. Firms in countries with greater GDP per capita hold more cash as predicted. Controlling for economic development, firms in countries with more risk and with poor protection of investor rights hold more cash. The tradeoff theory and the agency costs theory can both explain holdings of liquid assets across countries. However, the fact that a dollar of cash is worth less than $0.65 to the minority shareholders of firms in such countries but worth approximately $1 in countries with good protection of investor rights and high financial development is only consistent with the agency costs theory.

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Paper provided by National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc in its series NBER Working Papers with number 10188.

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Date of creation: Dec 2003
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Handle: RePEc:nbr:nberwo:10188

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Find related papers by JEL classification:
G15 - Financial Economics - - General Financial Markets - - - International Financial Markets
G31 - Financial Economics - - Corporate Finance and Governance - - - Capital Budgeting; Investment Policy

References listed on IDEAS
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    Other versions:
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Cited by:
(explanations, Please report citation or reference errors to , or , if you are the registered author of the cited work, log in to your RePEc Author Service profile, click on "citations" and make appropriate adjustments.)

  1. Vélez-Pareja, Ignacio & Magni, Carlo Alberto, 2008. "Potential dividends and actual cash flows. Theoretical and empirical reasons for using ‘actual’ and dismissing ‘potential’, Or: How not to pull potential rabbits out of actual hats," MPRA Paper 7266, University Library of Munich, Germany. [Downloadable!]
  2. Albuquerque, Rui & Wang, Neng, 2005. "Agency Conflicts, Investment and Asset Pricing," CEPR Discussion Papers 4955, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
    Other versions:
  3. Viral V. Acharya & Heitor Almeida & Murillo Campello, 2005. "Is Cash Negative Debt? A Hedging Perspective on Corporate Financial Policies," NBER Working Papers 11391, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
    Other versions:
  4. Thomas W. Bates & Kathleen M. Kahle & Rene M. Stulz, 2006. "Why Do U.S. Firms Hold So Much More Cash Than They Used To?," NBER Working Papers 12534, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  5. John M. Griffin & Federico Nardari & Rene M. Stulz, 2004. "Stock Market Trading and Market Conditions," NBER Working Papers 10719, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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